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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. season — of the year
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — in sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. stand — to bear
  15. roll — a cake
  16. capital — a city
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com